


you put your arms around me and I'm home

by thekaidonovskys



Series: Becoming Three [13]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-07-29
Packaged: 2018-02-10 21:59:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2041740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekaidonovskys/pseuds/thekaidonovskys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are obvious logistic issues around three of them being able to cuddle together. Lucky Tendo’s job is logistics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you put your arms around me and I'm home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RoseAngel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoseAngel/gifts), [SpesAbrin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpesAbrin/gifts).



> Originally posted by Tumblr user thekaidonovskys.

**Newt/Hermann**

The first time they cuddled was two years before the end of the war, and it was entirely unintentional. Exhaustion had led them both to the couch to ‘sit and breathe for a moment’ which led to Newt blearily watching Hermann’s eyes close before his own did the same and then, of course, led to them both waking in the early hours of the morning, curled around each other in the cramped little space and faces far too close. They snapped apart in an instant and were snapping at one another within a few minutes and it was presumed that they’d never speak of it again.

The second time they cuddled was the night the breach closed. Nothing was happening between them yet, nothing finalised or even discussed, but Hermann simply bypassed his own room and walked with Newt to his and Newt simply let him in and they simply curled up together and cried. And in the morning they woke and Hermann stayed and he’s stayed ever since.

Now, thankfully, they cuddle far less seriously. 

Hermann is his anchor, in so many ways. He holds Newt steady when the world feels like it’s about to tip out from under his feet, calms him when his ideas are too big and bold, and sometimes has to be the one to rain on Newt’s parade. But when it comes to cuddling, Hermann is the one who Newt can literally just wrap himself bodily around and melt into. It’s not that Hermann is  _stiff_ , but he’s firm and unchanging and supports Newt in every way necessary.

Of course he sighs a little when Newt fidgets and wriggles around, but he’s also the one who manages to get Newt to  _stop_ fidgeting and wriggling around as much, so there’s that. He’s the calm to Newt’s storm - something he got some  _seriously_ disdainful eye rolling at when he shared that particular line with Hermann, but it’s true. And Newt knows, in return, he helps Hermann relax and eases the tension that Hermann always seems to be lugging around with him. It’s rare for Hermann to nap during daylight hours, but if he’s gonna do it, it’ll be when he’s in Newt’s arms. 

(That usually draws Tendo in, just to sit by and chat softly with Newt while they both try not to stare and smile at their sleeping partner. They usually fail.)

Sometimes it’s serious, of course. Newt goes to Hermann for comfort if he’s had a bad day - and that’s not an exclusion of Tendo, of course, but Tendo is the one who makes Newt smile again once he’s feeling better. Hermann is the one who hears him out if he needs to talk, or, and more commonly, simply pulls him close and lets Newt wrap himself bodily around him to draw all the comfort he needs. If Newt needs to cry, he no longer feels any shame in hiding his face against Hermann’s chest and clutching at his shirt a little, and he knows that when it’s all over Hermann’s gonna pull him close and kiss him softly and it’ll all feel a lot better. 

Hermann’s go-to for bad days is Tendo. Newt doesn’t really know why, but it’s not something that he bothers to question. He’s perfectly content with his cuddling role in Hermann’s life, because Hermann trusts Newt with his leg when it’s aching, trusts Newt to hold him close but gentle enough that he’s not in any undue pain. Newt’s the one who massages his hip, who helps him to bed and gets him his painkillers and makes sure it’s not serious, and then holds him in his arms until Hermann eventually drifts off to sleep. He plays an important role, and that’s what matters to Newt. To be needed. 

And he knows Hermann needs him. Hermann needs to know that no matter how stiff and stern he is during the day, no matter how much they bicker or how much he snaps, at the end of the day it’s forgotten. At the end of the day, when the pressure of the lab is gone and the grumpy mathematician fades away, sometimes Hermann needs to be reminded that Newt loves the fuck out of him no matter what, and no matter how many harsh barbs they’ve swapped during the day, Newt still wants him close. And Newt always does. 

The most adorable thing, though, hands down, is when Hermann comes to Newt when he’s cold. Tendo does it too, but there’s something so perfectly  _cute_ about Hermann budging himself into Newt’s space, all levels of petulance as he complains bitterly about the weather. His complaints slowly peter off and his death grip lessens and finally Newt feels like he’s actually being cuddled with and not simply  _absorbed._ And if Hermann falls asleep, it’s just an added bonus of adorable. 

**Hermann/Tendo**

Hermann likes to be able to see Tendo’s face when they’re cuddling. 

At first it came out of a protective instinct to be certain that Tendo was always okay. Now it’s simply because he has a fondness for looking at Tendo, seeing him calm and relaxed and happy and knowing that Hermann is the one making him feel that way. Of course it’s the same with Newt, but Newt tends to get a bit squirmy when he’s being watched for too long, and the last thing Hermann wants is someone  _squirming_ when he’s trying to cuddle. He doesn’t do it often and when he does, he wants it to be as perfect as possible. 

But Tendo is all too happy to meet his gaze, to watch him in return and talk quietly or just enjoy the moment; or he closes his eyes and lets his forehead rest against Hermann’s, where he can still be seen, and gives no indication that Hermann’s quiet staring (let’s call a spade a spade, it  _is_ staring) bothers him. Hermann suspects it settles Tendo, who is also a little bit picky about being able to see who he’s dealing with - less so with Hermann and Newt, who he knows and trusts, but Hermann knows he’s always just that bit calmer when he’s face-to-face. 

So they fit well. That’s no surprise - if Newt is the yin to Hermann’s yang, then Tendo is the  _and_. It’s not so much that he’s adaptable, but that he has enough in common with each of them to fit. Newt once kidded that Tendo was the best parts of each of them put together, and Tendo looked so touched by it that the image sort of stuck. He hasn’t changed anything in the way Newt and Hermann feel about one another, just simply slotted in where he belongs and filled the gap - a gap they could easily have lived with if he hadn’t come along, but one that feels very right now that it’s occupied. 

Hermann knows Newt doesn’t understand why he goes to Tendo if he’s had a bad day. And by all accounts it should be Newt he goes to, if nothing else then simply because Tendo’s bad days are much worse than any of Hermann’s could be, and Hermann shouldn’t make Tendo be the one to comfort him over something so minor.

But it’s that factor itself that makes Hermann go to Tendo. Because Tendo has done such a wonderful job of healing, and to shy away from sharing his problems with Tendo is to treat Tendo like he can’t handle it. Hermann has no intention of ever making Tendo feel like he’s the weak one in their relationship.

And, after all, Tendo is a wonderful comfort. Newt can get a little too frantic to find out what’s wrong if Hermann’s properly upset (which is because Newt can’t bear seeing him cry, Hermann knows that), but Tendo just holds him through it and long after. Tendo can also tell the difference between tiredness and bone-weariness, and knows that the latter always has a cause far more dangerous than just lack of sleep. He knows that before he can let Hermann go to sleep, he has to get Hermann talking. He always manages to succeed. 

Tiredness seems to be a common theme - but with Tendo it’s far more adorable. Tendo inevitably gets sleepy about an hour before the others are even considering going to bed, and if Hermann isn’t otherwise occupied, he often ends up with an armful of Tendo, half asleep (or fully asleep) on his shoulder. It’s utterly precious, and Hermann gets entirely protective when he has a sleeping Tendo in his care. 

Apparently that protectiveness is a welcome trait, because Tendo also comes to him for reassurance. Because Hermann knows it gets hard sometimes, that Tendo often loses faith in his worth or believes that he doesn’t deserve what he’s got. Initially, before Hermann and Newt learned about it, Tendo would just close off a little, shy away from touch and keep to himself in an effort to ‘not bother them’. But now that they know, Hermann absolutely insists on Tendo coming to him if he’s feeling that way, and when Tendo silently and tentatively approaches him with slightly downcast eyes, Hermann is quick to draw him close, to use gentility and touch to show Tendo how worthy he really is. It seems to work. 

Tendo still gets up with Newt in the morning quite regularly while Hermann lies in; but sometimes he stays. Sometimes he curls himself around Hermann and kisses his forehead and lets Hermann doze on his chest, stroking his hair or tracing patterns down his back. In those mornings, Hermann feels absurdly well loved. He hopes Tendo feels the same. 

**Tendo/Newt**

Newt once affectionately mentioned that Tendo likes to cling to him like a limpet. 

It’s a hundred percent true and Tendo is equally as unapologetic for it. 

Newt is like some kind of goddamn  _space heater_  and he’s soft in all the right places but his arms are strong around Tendo and it’s the perfect blend. He’s also just as clingy, and a few of the times Hermann has walked in on them cuddling he’s commented on the fact that it seems impossible for either of them to breathe like that. But they both like the closeness, like to be squished together close enough that it’s almost uncomfortable, but yet not. 

Sometimes cuddling with Newt is more of a game than anything else. Hermann might despair over Newt’s fidgeting, but Tendo gives it back as good as he gets and half the time they end up kicking at one another or poking each other in the ribs until the whole concept of cuddling dissolves. More than anything, Tendo does it to make Newt giggle because it’s the cutest thing in the world. 

But of course his connection with Newt is about far more than kidding around and having fun. They have a lot of fun, but they also have a lot of times when it’s just Newt curled in around him, silent and gentle and simple. They like to be close - tactility is something they’ve always had in common, and even back in the Shatterdome it hadn’t been all that rare for them to swing by one another’s room or work station just to grab a hug. It had been easy and unassuming and convenient. 

Tendo had kind of always wanted to ask whether Newt was up for more than that, for more than just a few seconds of snatched contact here and there, but he’d never been brave enough to ask. He’d been too scared that Newt would think he was asking for a relationship (and Newt was so painfully in love with Hermann at that point so it wouldn’t have gone down well), when really all Tendo had wanted was someone to cuddle with. A lifestyle of casual sex had often led to far less physical contact than Tendo had anticipated. 

Now he has it. Now he can, just about whenever he wants, snag Newt and wrap him up in his arms. Now he can lie on the couch with Newt’s arms around him for  _hours_ while they watch movies or listen to Hermann read or just be together. There’s so much in the closeness now. 

Tendo usually craves that closeness if he’s had a bad day. Unless he’s highly triggered and can’t handle anybody being near him, he’ll usually find himself drawing close to Newt, needing to touch him and have Newt put his arms around him and just feel the contact. Sometimes he cries - though usually if he cries he ends up with a worried Hermann hovering around, and it’s easier to have both of them if that’s going to happen - but usually he just goes still and silent. It’s the only time Tendo really stops completely, when something’s wrong, and Newt knows not to let him go until Tendo starts moving again. 

Newt seems to crave that closeness as well, and Tendo’s all too happy to give it. Sometimes Newt gets a little despondent, too used to people telling him what he can and can’t be.  _Invasive_ is a word that’s used about Newt far too often, and when it gets him down he sometimes closes off, too afraid to be an irritation. That, combined with the fact that he’s often not comfortable enough to ask for what he wants, leads to complications. More often than not, Tendo, if he hasn’t cuddled with Newt in awhile and knows Hermann hasn’t either, will just grab Newt, drag him to the nearest comfortable piece of furniture, and cuddle him until Newt relents. He has no problems with Newt  _invading_ his personal space - he relishes it. 

They’ve taken the word  _clingy_ and turned it into a positive. 

Newt’s inability to ask for what he wants is by no means a barrier, but Tendo still likes to try and get past that sometimes, to get Newt using his words. He claims it’s for Newt’s benefit; mostly it’s because it’s  _fucking adorable_ when Newt gets all pink in the cheeks and quietly asks if they can cuddle. On those days, Tendo cuddles him extra long, because he deserves it. 

**Newt/Hermann/Tendo**

There are obvious logistic issues around three of them being able to cuddle together.

Lucky Tendo’s job is logistics.

And it’s not like they’re not used to being close. They’re all close, nearly all the time, and if the three of them are in a room together, it’s rare that they’re not all connected in some way. The aforementioned ‘pairing up’ usually only happens if the third person is otherwise occupied, or one person particularly needs a certain type of affection from one of the others. If they all just want to be simply close or affectionate, it’s a three-way thing. They might not do full-scale three-way cuddling, but there’s always three-way contact. 

It’s a three-way relationship, after all. It’s not about working around each other to ensure equal time is spent together, or feeling left out if they’re not the one needed at that point in time. If, for example, Hermann’s having a rough week and needs a lot of Tendo’s time and attention, Newt certainly isn’t going to sit by and be miserable that he’s not being included. He knows he’ll get his fair share of attention later, and besides, if his partners are happy, he’s happy. It’s how they all operate.

But when things are good, when they’re all calm and content, they work on getting even closer. 

Sleeping seems like the natural place to start, but it doesn’t take long to realize that, no matter how intricately they set everything up beforehand, it only takes Hermann getting sleepy before he’s gone, unable to sleep unless he’s got room to stretch out and breathe. Newt and Tendo find it much easier to sleep in one another’s arms, but it’s not something they do with regularity either. 

Besides, the daylight hours are the best times for cuddling anyway. 

So they pick a lazy Sunday afternoon with not much going on, with all three of them calm and without any complications, and set to work. Tendo’s in the middle, because Tendo is nearly always in the middle, and Hermann’s facing him because he likes to face Tendo. Newt’s on the other side, curled around Tendo with his arms around him, and Hermann’s got one arm right over both of them, resting on Newt’s back. 

They don’t expect it to actually be all that rewarding, if they’re honest. It’s a little too squishy, Tendo’s more likely to get claustrophobic than actually enjoy it, and while it’s common for the three of them to spend a lot of time together, they don’t normally do it without some kind of added stimulus - television, books, laptops, something else to do than just  _be_ there. 

They settle in and Tendo promptly melts into the dual embrace. Hermann’s smiling softly at him and Newt’s watching Hermann with a dopey smile of his own and for a good few minutes it’s just silence as they realize that perhaps contentment is possible in this manner. 

And then they talk. Quiet, unassuming chat that involves them all but requires little brain power. The conversation is on and off, and Tendo naps through some of it and Newt possibly does the same, though he’ll deny it, and Hermann doesn’t complain of his leg, even though staying this still for so long can often irritate it. 

When Newt’s stomach announces that he’s hungry and they finally disassemble, it’s to the realisation that they’ve not moved in almost two hours. They look at one another with a bit of surprise, but they’re all too relaxed and content to really dwell on it. At least they know it’s been a success. 

It’s not something they’ll do often, either. Life is busy and three people means three times more bad moods or bad days - something of that level isn’t suitable if Hermann’s grumpy or Tendo’s upset. They’ll probably stick to what they’ve got, because it’s a good system and does the job. But at least they know that this level of closeness is possible. 

They always knew that, though. There’s never been a single question about how close the three of them are, or how much they love one another. Those are givens. 

But perhaps in the future, another lazy Sunday afternoon will present itself. And none of the three will turn it down. 

**Author's Note:**

> Dynamics and logistics are my favourites. And now we've reached the end of Tumblr imported fic. There'll be a bit of a wait for new material, but it'll all be brand new.
> 
> Title from "Arms".


End file.
